New York Considering Health Care Freedom Act

In 2009 New York had two pieces of state Senate legislation dealing with Healthcare Freedom (S-7374) and reconfirming the Sovereignty of New York (J-4716) introduced by Senator Seward and Senator Michael Nozzolio respectively. A small sliver of light in state whose Governor had accepted federal funds for early introduction of healthcare insurance exchanges in compliance with Obama’s “Affordable Healthcare and Patient Protection Act.”

While these bills carried over into the 2010 sessions of state government, when 2011 rolled around all legislation two years old was dropped and needed to be re-introduced and renumbered. Such is the way of our New York legislative calendar.

Queries to Senator Seward’s and Senator Nozzolio’s office were sent out at the beginning of the 2011 legislation session in January.

On June 9th a correspondence was received from Senator Seward noting that he had reintroduced the legislation proposing an amendment to Article 17 of the State Constitution which would preserve the freedom of New York State provide for their own healthcare and doctors and healthcare institutions to provide healthcare without suffering the punitive actions of the federal government for noncompliance with the regulations of the federal healthcare act.

Senator Seward noted that this legislation, now numbered S-2362 is currently in the Senate Judicial Committee and he is “hopeful” that it pass during this Senate Session. The bill states, in part:

A law or rule shall not compel, directly or indirectly any person or employer or health care provider to participate in any health care system.

Senator Nozzolio has informed me that he reintroduced J-4716 on March 31, 2011. The new resolution number is J1064 and is currently before the Senate Finance Committee.

For more information on health care freedom acts and legislative tracking, click here.

For information on more sweeping health care nullification and legislative tracking, click here.